Former first round pick Ryan Matthews has yet to prove his worth with the team and will now begin to see a diminished role in the offense. With the return of Ronnie Brown and the arrival of Danny Woodhead, the Chargers running game will no longer rely so heavily on Matthews.

Woodhead in particular appears to be building momentum heading into the preseason. The former Patriots seems to have cemented his place as the team’s third-down back and appears to have become QB Phillip River’s go-to-guy on passing situations à la Darren Sproles.

Matthews will continue to get his early carries in the game, however Woodhead’s role as a passing-down back, will bring a certain level of predictability to opposing defenses.